MANSFIELD — A $1 million grant program for local companies involved in entertainment, lodging/tourism and the food and beverage industry will begin in January, using American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by Richland County commissioners Tuesday.
The grants, ranging from $10,000 to $30,000, will be administered through a program operated by the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development to benefit companies and non-profits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The county will receive about $23.4 million in ARPA funds, half of it already received and the remainder coming in 2022.
Commissioners, who had pledged the money in September during a meeting with Chamber President/CEO Jodie Perry, officially executed the sub grant with the chamber Tuesday, totaling $1,016,000.
The chamber awarded more than $2.7 million in grants to 468 small businesses during 2020, using federal funds through the CARES Act provided by commissioners, as well as the City of Mansfield and other local governments.
It’s the second ARPA sub grant recently done with the chamber to benefit local business, county Administrator Andrew Keller said.
In November, commissioners approved spending up to $16,000 on a promotional campaign aimed at supporting local small businesses during the holiday season and into early 2022.
“You are hearing a common theme,” Keller said. “This board of commissioners is using funds to assist local businesses.”
Perry said the program mirrors one enacted by the State of Ohio this summer, targeting the three specific industries.
She said local businesses will have to show a “downturn in revenue” due to the pandemic and that grant awards would be based on the economic impact suffered due to COVID-19.
Awards will be based on percentage of revenue lost due to the pandemic and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
For example, Perry said, a business would need to demonstrate it lost more than 51 percent of its revenue due to the pandemic to receive the maximum $30,000 grant.
Perry said the chamber will use the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to ensure local companies are involved in the industries targeted through the grant program.
She acknowledged there are businesses and non-profits who may be only partially involved in the targeted fields.
“They will need to have more than a toe in the water (in targeted areas) in order to qualify,” she said.
Perry said an application will be placed on the chamber website in January. She said the chamber will provide training on how to complete the application before it’s made available.
“We don’t want people to panic. We want to make sure they know and understand the process before the application period opens,” Perry said.
She expects the City of Mansfield will also contribute to the program with its ARPA funding, though she said she was unsure of the amount.
Mansfield City Council has approved $550,000 for business development with its ARPA funds.
“I spoke to (Mayor Tim Theaker) about it recently and they are still discussing a couple of numbers.”
